Say Your Sorry is a promising start to a new series by Melinda Leigh. Morgan Dane is a widower raising three young daughters. I was pulled into the story right from the start. Engaging characters with a mystery that kept me guessing. I'm looking forward to get to know these characters more.

*ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars
M/F Suspense, Mystery (hint of romance)
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

I really thought this was a great story. Tessa is the girl next door – everyone thinks she's a wonderful young lady who can do no wrong. Nick is the boy next door and people cannot believe he would commit such a heinous crime.

Morgan is just getting back on her feet. She lost her husband to an IED and she is having a difficult time joining the real world again. But, with the help of her father and a woman she took in, she's able to care for her three girls and try to get her career back.

Morgan is living in a very small community, so everyone knows everyone. It makes her taking on Nick's case to prove his innocence that much harder. The community immediately takes Tessa's side. But facts don't lie and when the truth begins to unravel, everyone is shocked and dismayed at what they find.

Lance is very much a behind-the-scenes character in that you really only get to see him develop feelings for Morgan a little at time and he's so shy about it, it feels like it takes forever. Lance wants justice done, no matter what the outcome.

I was disappointed that we didn't get any insight in to the community after the result. I felt that because it was so tight and we were given their immediate reactions throughout, that it was a piece missing for me. However, overall, well done in the mystery part. I can't wait to see what happens in the subsequent stories.

I thought this was a great introduction to a new series. We learn the background of the recurring characters and the setup for future books.

After losing her husband overseas while he was serving in the military Morgan moved back home with her three daughters to figure out what to do next. While she has accepted a position in the DAs' office a major event will put that decision on hold if not completely ruin her career.

Lance was a friend of Morgan's back in high school and since she's come back he is there to help her with some things. And she will need him to help search for the former babysitter of her girls.

Things go south very quickly and it becomes very clear that Morgan will be busy on the other side of the courtroom for this case.

It's a great legal thriller! I will be waiting to read book two.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

(Published in Goodreads, May 13, 2017, and Amazon, May 20, 2017
I loved this story and its main and secondary characters. Very good, solid writing. As usual with Melinda Leigh’s books I just plunged into the book and didn’t stop reading until the end. And it was a rather satisfying experience where I read for the pleasure of reading.
Morgan Dane, the female lead is the central character and has very much the foreground. She’s an intelligent and caring woman, a widow with three children and a demanding profession. I just thought she was too young (33) to have such a consolidated career in the taxing and time-consuming justice and law field (besides raising three little daughters and dealing with an absent husband/father).
The hero, Lance Kruger, is strong and supportive and, not very often seen in romance, a very devoted son to his mentally fragile mother (but perhaps she’s stronger than he thinks).
Their issues with each other are solved maturely and communicating.
I just would have liked a more developed romantic plot, but the thriller made my day.
The story gains in terms of depth as the author develops her secondary characters too. That happens both with younger (Nick, what a lovely young man!) and older people. I was moved by the fact that the author created older characters and made them play significant roles in the story – I’ve already mentioned Lance’s mother, who turns out to be quite productive in the investigation, but there’s also Morgan’s grandfather (another lovely person).
But my favorite secondary character is Lincoln Sharp, a former detective who is now a private investigator and Lance‘s boss. What an appealing older hero! He’s bossy, meddling and a very caring person with people and dogs; besides, he doesn’t drink coffee and prepares smoothies for his colleagues/friends (!). I just hope we’ll have his story soon.

Say You’re Sorry is the fourth romantic suspense that I have read by Melinda Leigh. It takes place in Scarlet Falls, New York which gives the book a small town feel without it being isolated. There is an interesting sense of community that easily gets upended when a teenage girl is murdered and her former boyfriend quickly becomes the prime suspect due to political reasons. Fortunately, there are still some people in town that are interested in putting the evidence above politics.

Morgan Dane is a single mother of three whose husband was killed in Iraq two years ago. Morgan has decided that it is time to get back to work as the prosecutor she once was and is days away from starting her new job in the District Attorney’s office when her neighbor’s son Nick is accused of murdering his former girlfriend Tessa who was also Morgan’s babysitter. Before she realizes it, Morgan has decided to become Nick’s defense attorney. Knowing that she needs someone she can trust to help her clear Nick’s name and find the real killer, Morgan employs the help of former Scarlet Falls Police Officer turned Private Investigator Lance Kruger. Since Morgan and Lance dated back in high school, there is definitely some chemistry there. As the investigation progresses, members of the community begin to show their true colors and Morgan soon finds out that her hometown isn’t as warm and fuzzy as she thought.

Say You’re Sorry is a testament to the fact that no one really knows their neighbors. We may see them everyday but we don’t really know them. A lot of secrets are revealed. Some of which are totally unexpected and change the lives of several families not directly related to the murder. Even Morgan is more than meets the eye. She comes off as a girly girl but she is a strong and capable woman. She comes from long line of law enforcement members and it shows. I really loved her character and the way that she pursued Nick’s innocence. There are a lot of twists and turns so expect to be surprised by the outcome.

This was a great start to a series! Morgan Dane was a great character, as was her friend Lance Kruger. I liked the way they worked together to try to prove Nick's innocence in the killing of the babysitter. The storyline was fast paced and kept me interested. It had plenty of action, and the tie-in to the Scarlett Falls Series was a good bonus! This is another wonderful one by Leigh!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Excellent start to a new series! Morgan is a terrific character. She's got a lot on her plate dealing with her grief and helping her kids but she's still determined to make sure justice is done- more than a lot of us could manage, especially since the victim is her babysitter. No spoilers here because this really is a twisty one. Suffice it to say, the journey for Morgan, Lance, and Nick is one which will keep you guessing about the bad guy til the very end. THanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a good one and I'm looking forward to where the series goes next.

Thanks to Melinda and NetGalley for the advanced copy. I was sucked in immediately to a gripping and creepy story. This is going to be a great new series!

This is my first book by this author and I loved it! Great start to a series!

Morgan Dane is a widowed mother of three girls. Her husband was killed in the line of duty and she is still mourning 2 years later. She moved back to Scarlet Falls to live with her grandfather. She hasn’t worked outside the home since her husband was killed. She finally decides it’s time to re-enter the work force. She is an attorney and has agreed to go to work for the District Attorney’s office.

She receives a phone call late at night from the grandparents of a young girl who baby sits occasionally for her stating she is missing. Morgan calls Lance Kruger, an old high school boyfriend, whom she has become good friends with since her return to Scarlet Falls. Lance is currently working as a PI while on medical leave from the police department due to a gunshot wound to his thigh. They discover the girl’s brutally murdered body.

When Nick, her 20 year old neighbor, and friend of the family, is accused of killing his girlfriend, Morgan agrees to represent him pro bono. This ends her job with the DA’s office before it even began. She goes to the PI office Lance works for to ask for their help.

Morgan and Lance work well together. Morgan is still dealing with her past while trying to move forward. Lance is dealing with the loss of a job that defined him and trying to figure out his future. He’s been interested in Morgan for a while, but knows she’s not ready for a relationship, so has resolved himself to the friend zone. Plus, he’s dealing with a mom who has mental health issues. Lance comes across as a stand up guy with unquestionable integrity, honesty and a big heart. Morgan shares those qualities. I loved that there was no histrionics, immature meltdowns, or ridiculous outbursts between Morgan and Lance.

I never saw the killer coming! This rarely happens for me, so I was impressed! This book is a real page turner.

There is also a great cast of supporting characters as well. Grandpa is a real sweetheart and very encouraging to Morgan. Morgan’s girls are good kids. Her youngest is a bit of a spitfire! Lincoln Sharp is a retired detective and owner of the PI firm where Lance works. He is a father figure for Lance and another stand up guy.

There isn’t much romance to this romantic suspense. However, the ending has me hoping there’s more to come in the following books! I’m very happy to have discovered this author. I will be watching for the next book in this series!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

Melinda Leigh is an auto buy author for me. I know when I read something of hers that I'm in for a good, solid, read.
'Say You're Sorry' is the first book in a spin off series from Melinda Leigh's Scarlet Falls series. Morgan Dane is the sister of police Dective Stella Dane from 'Seconds To Live'. She's spent the last few years dealing with the death of her husband and raising her 3 daughters. When her teenage babysitter is found murdered and her young neighbour is arrested, Morgan decides to forgo her career as a Prosecutor and defend her neighbour Nick. Morgan hires private investigator Lance Kruger (a former policeman featured in 'Seconds To Live') her former teenage boyfriend to help her defence case.
This was a great book and a good start to a new series. While the romance was light, I didn't mind and as I've noticed there is going to be another book in the series, so hopefully that one might have a bit more romance than this one, which was more suspense than romantic suspense. Either way, I can't wait until the next book in the series.

From the riveting, terrifying first few pages to the the very last page, I was held spellbound by this story! When a brutal murder demanding a quick resolution results in a possibly innocent young man being accused of the crime, former prosecutor Morgan Dane reacts with both her heart and head to determine where justice lies.

Once again we return to Scarlet Falls, New York, where Morgan has returned home with her three adorable daughters to live with her grandfather after her soldier husband is killed in Iraq. After two years of grieving and settling back home, Morgan is days away from returning to the workforce in her field of criminal prosecution. But when her sometime babysitter Tessa is brutally murdered and Morgan’s neighbor Nick, Tessa recent boyfriend, is arrested for the crime, Morgan’s attorney senses are tingling. As the blurb for the book states, Morgan winds up taking on Nick’s defense in the face of hostility from the town and law enforcement officials, including Morgan’s almost-now-ex-boss the District Attorney. Lance Kruger, a former Scarlet Falls police officer who is now working as a private investigator, has known Morgan forever. Although always friends, Morgan and Lance sense something more may be developing between them but now Nick’s case is a priority. The evidence against Nick seems just too convenient and officials too anxious to obtain Nick’s conviction. It is up to Morgan and Lance to determine who really killed Tessa….

I have to be honest - I usually shy away from a series where each book has the same hero and heroine - I like my romantic suspense books to be stand-alones with a satisfying conclusion and HEA. When I learned of this 3-book series, with Morgan and Lance front and center in each one, I was curious but uncertain if I would enjoy it as much as Ms. Leigh’s other books. Well, I was totally blown away - this is an amazing, well-written suspense story that you will not want to put down. I always expect a strong plot and fully-developed characters from this author, but my expectations were exceeded with this book! The story is told from the many characters’ points of view, which added such depth to the story. As bone-chilling as the killer’s point of view was, Nick experience while incarcerated is intense and scarring! As someone familiar with criminal prosecution I will tell you that the crime, the reactions to it by the town and Nick’s brief incarceration were more realistically portrayed that one would like to admit. But best of all was how Morgan and Lance’s friendship evolved into a partnership to find justice has set the foundation for a future relationship in the next books. I am so invested in these two, I cannot wait for the next book! Although I am sure that the road Morgan and Dane will travel to their happily-ever-after may not be easy, I have faith that this author will reward us with a wonderful conclusion to this trilogy!

This is an excellent read. There are no dull moments at all. I was practically glued to this story and didn't want to put it down

Melinda Leigh – author of the “Midnight” series – has started another thrilling, suspense-filled series with “Say You’re Sorry,” which is filled with suspects, and little romance too.

Morgan Dane has taken time off since the death of her husband two years ago. But just as she is about to go back to work for the District Attorney’s office, her teenaged neighbor is accused of murdering his girlfriend, also a family friend. Morgan agrees to defend him, and finds that a case that looked open-and-shut is anything but. Working with her high school sweetheart to investigate the case, can Morgan figure out what’s going on in a town that seems to have secrets around every turn?

This book was very twisty and had several subplots which added to the bigger picture of the mystery. There are points when it seems clear what happened, but then you’re thrown in another direction. However the subplots did not take away from the main mystery, which is the murder of a young girl at the town’s party spot. Leigh is very good at maintaining that balance.

I’m interested to see more from this town in the future, based on some of these threads.

And the central mystery gets dark. It’s not for the faint of heart. Not that most murder stories are cheerful, but this one involves sexual assault in various forms. But nothing seemed gratuitous, and it was handled well. Morgan’s determination to get justice also adds a great balance to these aspects, showing that there are people who care about making sure victims of crime get justice and are taken seriously.

I did not guess this ending.

The romance was a little cheesy, but it was still enjoyable. Hopefully in later books will see the characters’ relationship developed more.

Overall, I’m looking to more from Morgan Dane and Scartlett Falls.

4.5 Stars!

Say You’re Sorry was a fantastic start to the Morgan Dane series, with wonderful characters and a compelling mystery that kept me guessing right until the very end.

After losing her husband in Iraq, Morgan Dane has returned to her hometown of Scarlet Falls to raise her three girls with the help of her family. Say You’re Sorry picks up two years after Morgan returned home as she plans to get back to work by starting a job at the DA’s office. However, Morgan’s life is thrown into chaos when her babysitter is murdered and her neighbor’s son is accused of the crime. Believing Nick to be innocent, Morgan agrees to take on the case at the request of her neighbor. With the help of an old friend turned private eye, Morgan begins her investigation and aims to prove her neighbor is innocent and the real killer is still at large.

Morgan is an incredibly strong character and really brave despite the difficulties she's facing while defending Nick's case. She also has a great sense of loyalty for those she cares about. I love how much she cares about her family and that even when she's busy with the case, she finds time to be with her daughters. Lance has had a difficult few months recovering from being shot while he was still on the police force. As a private detective, he has more freedom when it comes to his work, but he misses being on the force. Through his work as a P.I. he gets to work with Morgan, whom he has known since high school. I really enjoyed their working relationship, as well as the introduction of something more in their private life. I feel the two fit together very well and I'm excited to see where things go between them in future books.

The mystery surrounding Tessa's death was intriguing. There were several suspects over the course of the book which led to constant twists and turns. I suspected several people, but never actually the person who was the killer. Getting chapters inside the killer's head gave great insight into how twisted the killer really was. I also enjoyed how the author wove several other small scandals/mysteries into the story.

I read this book without reading the connecting series, Scarlet Falls, but had no issues understanding who everyone was and how they were all connected to each other. The author does a great job at making this its own series while including little Easter eggs for those familiar with the prior series. For being a romantic suspense book, Say You’re Sorry is more on the thriller/mystery end, but there are enough elements of romance that seem to imply that may take more of a center role in future books.

Overall, Say You’re Sorry was a fun read with a ton of action and a compelling mystery. I’m excited for more books to come out in this series as I really enjoyed these characters and the setting. I will definitely be checking out the connecting series, Scarlet Falls, soon.

A new series from Melinda Leigh brings on another dose of adrenaline rush and suspense, as she introduces the readers to Morgan Dane and Lance Kruger, their thirst for justice that reunites them and an attraction that flares into passion and the evolving of their relationship.

Book one in the Morgan Dane series, “Say You’re Sorry”, plunges Morgan Dane into an investigation of her one time baby sitter, Tessa. Coming to Scarlet Falls with her three daughters to start fresh after her husband’s death, was on her agenda. Getting back into her role of a prosecutor was her next step, but circumstances take her to the other side of law, as she sacrifices her career to defend an innocent.

Teaming up with Lance Kruger, an ex-cop and now a private investigator, the hunt for the murderer reveals secrets and betrayals that led to the death of an innocent young girl. As the secrets fall open, so does the relationship between Lance and Morgan, giving them a second chance to see if they can have a future.

What I love about Melinda Leigh is her prowess at peeling layer after layer of revelations, keeping that suspense going, making “Say You’re Sorry” a very interesting read, as she gives immense attention to details of the investigation as well as developing the relationship between Lance and Morgan. Placing secondary characters at the right place in the plot, making them an important part of the story adds strength and character.

A brilliant start to what seems to be a brilliant series!

Say You’re Sorry
Morgan Dane, Book #1
Melinda Leigh
5 Stars


Synopsis:

In a new series from Wall Street Journal bestselling author Melinda Leigh, former prosecutor Morgan Dane faces the most personal—and deadly—case of her lifetime.

After the devastating loss of her husband in Iraq, Morgan Dane returns to Scarlet Falls, seeking the comfort of her hometown. Now, surrounded by family, she’s finally found peace and a promising career opportunity—until her babysitter is killed and her neighbor asks her to defend his son, Nick, who stands accused of the murder.

Tessa was the ultimate girl next door, and the community is outraged by her death. But Morgan has known Nick for years and can’t believe he’s guilty, despite the damning evidence stacked against him. She asks her friend Lance Kruger, an ex-cop turned private eye, for help. Taking on the town, the police, and a zealous DA, Morgan and Lance plunge into the investigation, determined to find the real killer. But as they uncover secrets that rock the community, they become targets for the madman hiding in plain sight. (Goodreads)


Review:

The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. Morgan is a tough woman who has had more than her share of heartache. She is a no-nonsense woman who can handle most anything herself. But she also has a softer side and we get to see her grieving for her husband and being a mother to her three girls. This made her feel very human to me. Lance is a stand-up guy who likes to see justice served. He unfortunately has some baggage, with his mother and his injury. But he is a good guy and is very willing to help Morgan in any way he can. I really enjoyed meeting both of them and getting to spend time with them.

The mystery was well plotted and the action was fast paced.. There were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through that it was not easy to solve. In fact, I was surprised when the killer was revealed.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and the first chapter had me riveted to the pages. The book was written from different perspectives and while I usually do not like that technique, it worked very well in this case. It allowed the reader to get an up close and personal understanding of everyone’s feelings and fears.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written mystery suspense. I have read many other books by this author and she never disappoints. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and getting to spend more time with Morgan and Lance.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the opportunity to read and review this great book.

Morgan Dane returns to her hometown with her 3 daughters after her husband is killed in Iraq. She is a lawyer and when her neighbor Nick is accused of murdering his girlfriend Tessa, Morgan decides to be his lawyer. Morgan with the help of Private Investigator Lance try and prove Nick is innocent. But if Nick is innocent that means the murderer is still on loose! It was a great mystery of a book that leaves you guessing until the end. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I loved this well written murder mystery. The book has a great plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series.

Lacked believability and character development. Too fluffy for me.

Morgan and Lance the two main characters work very well together and I can see lots more books using these two.
The plot is interesting & I enjoyed reading the chapters told from the prospective of the killer as it added suspense.
Won't say more as spoilers do just that!